Jul 06 2010

Happy Day Of Astana

Category: In The Media,Kazakhstan,PicturesChrisM @ 1:48 pm

I have previously been calling it Astana Day, but local official online sources seem to refer to it as the Day of Astana. Anyway, it is also our beloved President’s birthday today. He is seventy, which is still very young, and in his honour the Khan Shatyr was officially opened today apparently. Nursultan Nazarbayev (who is legally not insultable by anyone living in this glorious nation) was rumoured to have been pondering resigning today, but I have yet to hear about any speech confirming this. Since the Leader of the Nation law was passed, some people thought he would take this momentous occasion to pass on the baton to another great, perfect and non-corrupt leader.
Anyway, check out the BBC article here for some more details on Khan Shatyr, though I have a few queries regarding the “facts” in that story…
Astana celebrates 13 years of being capital perhaps, but the city was around, in different (smaller) forms for a little bit longer than that 🙂 The phrasing just makes it sound as though nothing existed here for decades, and suddenly over night it came into existence.
Khan Shatyr is the city’s tallest structure? Could be right, but 150 metres doesn’t seem all that tall compared to some structures here. This could just be my mistake though.
“from 30C in the summer to -30C in the winter.” – An argument I’ve had over at Wikipedia before. Summer is regularly above 30C, occasionally hitting 40. Winter definitely sees an occasional dip below -30.

Here is an earlier photo of the Khan Shatyr tent like structure, whilst it was still being slowly constructed, to ensure it was ready for the birthday of this nation’s wonderful leader.

Khan Shatyr

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Jun 21 2010

Dedication

Category: In The Media,Pictures,VideosChrisM @ 5:43 pm

There will be quite a few more pictures from 9gag coming soon, I’ve got a lot bookmarked for future reference, but for now, check out the picture and related video from Meanwhile, In Japan.

Meanwhile, In Japan

As you’ll see in the comments section over there, someone helpfully posted the music video that this still shot was taken from, see below.

I was impressed that the bouffant (I think it is a little beyond a quiff) of the main guy in the video and seen in the picture seemed to survive walking around outside. I wonder how many cans of hair spray he gets through though? I need to remember to add 9gag to the LOL page here soon.

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Jun 15 2010

Osh Eye Witness Account

Category: In The MediaChrisM @ 2:03 pm

For those interested in the current problems in South Kyrgyzstan, the following quote was written by an NGO worker in Osh. If you want to read more about the area, the revolutions and don’t find your favourite newspaper is giving you enough, I’d recommend reading through Registan, New Eurasia and EurasiaNet.

For my friends and family back in the West, I want to make it clear this is in a different country, Kazakhstan is absolutely fine. Wherever you see “I” in the quoted text, please remember this is someone else’s account.

First hand experience in Southern Kyrgyzstan

Before I explain anything, let me just say that I am completely safe. I and the other NGO volunteers (except for 3 village volunteers in Osh who will be moved tomorrow but are safe right now) have been moved to the American military base outside of the Kyrgyz capitol of Bishkek. I totally and completely safe right now, and I will definitely never be returning to Osh.

I don’t know if you have been following the news. Mostly just NPR and Al Jazeera have reported, but they know very little as the conflict is so bad no one can get in.

I just had the most terrifying experience of my life. I’m going to let you know so you can get a small picture of what it is like where I live. And I am only letting you know because I am now out of the conflict.

It was Friday at 1am and I was awoken by a phone call from another friend in the NGO who lives in my neighbourhood in Osh. He was wondering if I heard any strange noises on the streets. I didn’t at that point, but I got up and looked out my balcony (it must be noted that I am the only volunteer in Osh who lives on the main street with my windows facing it as well, so they wanted me to look for them. I am on the 2nd floor). What I saw was horrifying. I looked to my right and saw a fire burning in the street about a block away and men screaming loudly around it. I thought they were just screaming to put out the fire. I waited a bit and noticed the fire growing and growing. It cast a red glow across the whole street I lived on. I then turned to the left and saw a hundred or more local men walking down towards my building carrying axes and shotguns. They were yelling cheers and shooting into the air. They began to set fire to more buildings around me, while breaking the glass and doors of the stores on the first floor of my building and the buildings around me. I was scared and had no idea what to do so I called our safety officer at the NGO and she had no idea what was going on (I woke her up). More and more men gathered in the red glow of the burning buildings around me (at least 300 by now), and they began to throw rocks at buildings. I was walking towards the bathroom to seek cover (as this is the only room in my apartment that doesn’t have a window facing the street), and a large rock smashed through my window and flew right by my head. I was lucky to have missed it as it was a fist sized stone. I spent the rest of the night hiding in my bathroom, staying on the phone with the NGO, and sneaking peeks to see if my building was on fire. Luckily just as my building was going to get caught by the flames, the fire department came, dispersed the crowd and put out the fire (which I am surprised they put out so much because we don’t have fire hydrants here).

I can’t even properly describe the terror I felt. I have never felt so trapped in my life. I didn’t know what to do if my building caught on fire because if I ran outside I would have surely been killed. I am so grateful that the fire stopped when it did. It was also incredibly terrifying because this incident was about 2 hours long. I spent the rest of the night packing my emergency bag and trying to rest in the bathtub, but I was unsuccessful as I was so nervous about men climbing onto my balcony or my apartment being set ablaze. I can’t get the image out of my head of all those mens and guns shadows destroying my neighbourhood.

I spent the whole time praying for dawn because I thought it would get better with light. Well, it didn’t. 5 o’clock hit and Kyrgyz men came with crowbars and started smashing up the stores right across the street from my building. This continued until a crowd of Uzbek men came and chased them away with rocks. Yes, if you didn’t know, this whole conflict is about the ethnic tension between the Uzbeks and Kyrgyz, possibly started by a third party for political reasons.

Hundreds of Uzbeks gathered again on my street, but soon scattered into the distant neighbourhoods because of police. I was then called by the NGO and told to move about a block away to another volunteer’s house, where many of us would gather to be safe. I did so, and it was relatively safe. 6 of us spent the rest of that first day trying to rest, conserve our energy (I didn’t get to eat for 2 days because the gas and electricity were shut off and no stores were open), and hope for the best. We just heard distant fighting and shots the rest of that day and then that night military tanks were roaming the city firing into crowds to disperse them.

The next day (Saturday), we all woke up and got the 4 other NGO volunteers in the city to join us (thats 10 now). We were told by the NGO that we were leaving to the airport to catch a flight to the capital, but the roads were blocked and shooting was heavy on the way. We then had to wait for a new plan. In the mean time, some local Kyrgyz threw a bottle and rock into our window and smashed it. We had to create an emergency plan because we heard that molotov cocktails were being thrown into windows, so we needed to do fire prevention. We positioned the bed and cushions against all the windows, hoping that a molotov would bounce off back into the street. Luckily this was never tested. We spent the rest of the afternoon in complete silence (all phones were off except for mine to conserve our batteries. I kept mine on for communication with the NGO), and getting many different changing plans from the NGO.

Finally, at about 6pm we were picked up by 5 kyrgyz men (trusted and hired by the NGO) who had masks on and guns. They were to escort us to a bus that would take us to helicopter. We left with them, but the bus got lost so we were exposed on the main street for 20 minutes. It was so eery as all the streets were empty, except for when random cars would drive by with dozens of men and guns in them. One of the cars was stopped on the way by a group of Kyrgyz who pointed their guns at the volunteers in it and screamed, “If any of you are Uzbeks we will kill you all.” Luckily our drivers were Kyrgyz and we were somewhat “safer” because we were in Kyrgyz territory. They went away and we spent the next 20 minutes trying to get the bus to come to us while watching troops of Kyrgyz driving past us with guns. We were so scared of being shot at this point. Luckily, we got to the bus that was controlled by the Kyrgyzstan border control, who was to take us to a helicopter in the city. We got in and after driving a certain way we were blocked by a crowd of hundreds and hundreds of Kyrgyz men who were demanding the guns from the military tank escorting us. The military refused and started firing guns into the air. We all ducked down, but I saw that more gunshots were being fired around us by the local kyrgyz and then rocks and sticks were being smashed against our car windows. We were in this position for about 5 minutes and we were all in control, but I truly felt for the first time in my life that I could have died at that moment. So many men screaming, so many shots in my direction, so much anger. I just could truly see myself not surviving that moment. Again, i can’t describe how that danger feels. It is beyond numbing.

Luckily the tank eventually decided to plow through the crowd and we followed. We made it to the heli base and were lifted to the Osh airport where we got a charter flight to Bishkek. We are now safe at the base while our homes and friends burn in the fires of ethnic conflict.

While we feel grateful to be alive and gone, I personally feel guilty because I am so privileged to have the ability to be lifted out of the danger like that while my local friends and coworkers hide for their lives. It is a horrible feeling to have left them to die. Hundreds are dead already, thousands are injured. 150,000 Uzbeks have fled to the Uzbek border; women are handing their babies off to Uzbekistan soldiers at the border so that at least they survive.

Whats worse is that the Uzbeks are not only blamed for this whole thing (as the ethic and hated minority), but they are being targeted not only by Kyrgyz, but also the military. We hear from our Uzbek friends that police are openly killing defenceless Uzbeks on the street. Entire Uzbek neighbourhoods are destroyed in Osh. I will never forget the last image I had, flying away in a heli over the city, seeing entire blocks of houses scorched to the ground, with smoke and fire covering the whole city. It will haunt me forever.

Whats worse is that the Kyrgyz government is only providing humanitarian assistance to the Kyrgyz, and leaving the Uzbek out. Please urge your congressperson to push the american government to urge the Kyrgyz government to provide equal aid to all ethnicities. PLEASE. These are my friends and neighbors that are being murdered. Just take a few minutes and call/email. It is an emergency situation, no time to lose. Please leave my name out of your message though.

Email me if you have questions. I have good internet at the base. The rest of the country is completely stable as Uzbeks are mainly just in the south, so don’t worry about me being in the north now.

I love you all and I am think I will be home in America soon.

I have not been able to verify the accuracy of this account, and others have noted that conclusions drawn about the police and military forces in Osh and surrounding areas (although repeated by different people) could be inaccurate, as uniforms can be stolen, and identification of allegiances/membership of official forces could be difficult to ascertain in the heat of a battle.

If any Americans do want to contact their congressman/woman, I believe these three sites – 1, 2 and 3 should be able to provide you with details.

If you a UK citizen, and want to contact your MP, asking them to ensure the British government sends a message that humanitarian aid needs to be given out regardless of ethnicity, then click here.

[edit]
Update to include information on the best contact methods and URL assignment, by KZBlog in the comments section below

All American senators also have websites at LASTNAME.senate.gov. So if you know your Senator’s name, you can go there. House members are at LASTNAME.house.gov. Or go harass Obama at whitehouse.gov. Letters and phone calls do tend to carry more weight than emails and Tweets, so I’ve heard.

(Just in case you don’t scroll any further)

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Jun 10 2010

Blade Runner On Thin Ice

Category: In The Media,Kazakh Driving,VideosChrisM @ 11:27 am

Irina sent me a link last week that I forgot to publish. I’ve found an accompanying video, so I suggest you watch that first…

Now, the exact details vary on the internet, depending which source you check, but whether he was on his way from or to an ice rink, driving with ice skates on has to be seen as particularly dumb. Some people said he was driving home because he realised he needed normal shoes to drive (how did he get to the rink?), others say he was trying to save time by not having to change when he got to the ice rink. In any case, driving and drinking alcohol (different countries have different laws/social norms I realise) to the point where you think that ice skates are safer than bare foot driving has to be a big no-no.

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Jun 10 2010

Confessions Of A SysAdmin

Category: In The MediaChrisM @ 11:23 am

Not at all related to the 70s UK film series Confessions Of A… (sex comedies, thought of at the time as soft-core porn), an article over at The Register caught my attention. Before I get back to that, I’d never realised that John Le Mesurier (Dad’s Army star) was in Confessions Of A Windows Cleaner.
Anyway, back on track, I’ve closed the Wikipedia page so no more distractions… So, a systems admin (Trevor Pott) wrote a short article on how a couple of simple small things allowed a conficker infection to survive a cleaning purge on his network, and what he could have done differently (with hindsight, obviously) to prevent it.
Not particularly thrilling for most readers of this site, I understand, but the sort of train of logic and problem solving that I sometimes miss here in Kazakhstan.

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May 28 2010

Shoplifters To Terrorists

Category: In The MediaChrisM @ 8:55 pm

Another vague tie in to Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 again (a game I’ve been playing recently), as I came across a piece on high tech surveillance techniques that could be in use on battlefields within just a few years.
The fact that this concerns me less than behaviour-analysing CCTV systems that were touted in the last couple of years for domestic use is probably a purely selfish instinct. I’m not likely to ever find myself in a potential war zone, whereas the thought of being flagged for a higher level of scrutiny whilst wandering around a UK high street or shopping centre creeps me out a little. The end results should dictate a reversal of concern levels though – after all, if a security guard/policeman takes an interest in my shopping in Cheltenham or Swansea, I’m never going to encounter a predator missile suddenly being aimed at me. If the software or operators make a mistake in Afghanistan/Pakistan though, the error could lead to loss of life, not just an inconvenience.

Not Modern Warfare 2

The MW2 reference was that the article originally caught my attention as one of the photos reminded me of a level I’m trying to complete right now. Hopefully DanD will be able to come over again soon, as playing with two controllers isn’t particularly easy.

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May 28 2010

Inter-Species Fans

Category: In The MediaChrisM @ 7:13 pm

Barking Mad Singers would have been another choice for this post’s title. Lou Reed (depending on your age and influences, “Walk On The Wild Side” or “Perfect Day” would probably be the best answers should you be asking “who?”) and his wife plan to give a concert in Sydney. Nothing too unusual, until you know that the performance is written for dogs to listen to! As we are nowhere near April the 1st, and this is a BBC News article, I’m going to assume that it isn’t a joke. As the tunes (?) will be tailored for canine ears, a lot won’t be audible to human ears, but if AlexC could borrow her next door neighbour’s dog, I’d be interested to hear about any reaction (good or bad) that it gives.

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May 26 2010

Recorded Strokes And Missing Blocks

Category: Aware Or Conspiracy Nut...,In The MediaChrisM @ 11:51 pm

Sounding more like a plot device in Mission Impossible XIV than a well researched BBC article, spying on people’s keyboard strokes via the mains cable that powers the computer is more fuel for the tin foil hat brigade. The article doesn’t mention whether PS/2 keyboards are the types of device that can leak information back through to AC wiring (not at all sure why, but I can imagine there being less potential digital interference when USB was used), nor does the piece refer to whether PSUs with certain features would be likely to curtail this activity. For that matter, would surge suppressors (with their sine wave cleaning abilities) further protect paranoid users?

Another article with potentially information missing, is a piece on credit card info thieves using cloned cards at unattended checkouts in supermarkets to empty American customers’ accounts. I can’t understand why a simply block on non Chip’n’PIN cards using these sort of self service checkouts wouldn’t be put in place. This way staff would get a chance to physically check the card at normal check outs, meaning more hassle for the data thieves at the very least.

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May 26 2010

Grey Hat Hackers That Aren’t Active

Category: In The MediaChrisM @ 10:29 pm

Who can tell what has changed in the last 11 months, but officially (see this article), the British government has the means to carry out cyber-attacks, but does not use them for industrial espionage. Whilst giving this explanation, it was made pretty clear that the UK believes China and Russia (amongst many others, I’m sure) do illicitly obtain information to assist national or major companies in their respective territories. Whether government employees or private contractors do this in Britain is not really a argument for most I think, but it would be interesting to hear the excuses given if Lord West was caught out and somehow such commercial spying was ever traced back to officially sanctioned groups or individuals.

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May 24 2010

Stoned Wallabies And Decoy Spiders

Category: In The MediaChrisM @ 11:43 pm

Continuing the clearance of old news stories and images that have been stuck in draft posts for a while, here we have a couple of articles from the BBC. The first is about stoned (although to me that only infers weed, not the other substances mentioned) wallabies creating crop circles see here. Whether they would ever approach the geometric designs that some (in)famous hoaxers in Britain did is highly arguable, and I would have loved to have seen some aerial shots of the damage done/art dislpayed by the wallabies. Also worth a quick scan are the mostly tongue in cheek comments at the end of the article.
With the second article we have a species of spider that builds life-sized decoys to distract predators from eating the real McCoy. I also seem to remember an old article in New Scientist on how spiders under the influence of different substances spun a wide variety of altered web patterns, but I can’t seem to find the bookmark or draft post for that.

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